1. Process
  2. Conclusions
  3. Conciseness
  4. Verbs
  5. Data
  6. Conventions

3.1 Start with the idea of greatest importance to the reader

This concept, the organizational concept of putting the bottom line on top, is the single greatest trick of business writing, especially of writing for screen reading, as in e-mail or web sites. If the reader is satisfied that his or her issue is in focus and being dealt with, the reader makes the unconscious decision to pay attention. If, on the other hand, the reader feels that the writer is just working up to the reader's interest or perhaps doesn't even know that interest, the reader begins skimming at best, stops reading at worst.

So the first rule of conciseness is an organizational and process rule. Read over the draft, ask yourself what you reader's main interest is, and start right on that interest. If you do so, the reader will perceive you to be utterly concise, even though your writing may not actually be so.

When asked what is wrong with most business writing, business people invariably respond that the writers take too long to get to the point or never get to the point. So, get to the point, the reader's point.

 

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